Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

This is a country blessed with great natural beauty, game reserves and mineral wealth. The diverse landscape changes from mountainous to wilderness to typical Bushveld. The country is also home to large animals and a large bird population. Zimbabwe is a country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Victoria Falls, Zambezi River, Kariba Dam and the Limpopo River. Zimbabwe is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the west, Zambia to the north and Mozambique to the east.

Construction starting in the 11th century and continuing for over 300 years, the ruins at Great Zimbabwe are some of the oldest and largest structures located in Southern Africa. At its peak, estimates are that the ruins of Great Zimbabwe had as many as 18,000 inhabitants. The ruins that survive are built entirely of stone. The ruins span 1,800 acres (7 km²) and cover a radius of 100 to 200 miles (160 to 320 km).

Hwange National Park is one of Africa's finest havens for wildlife and is home to vast herds of elephant, buffalo, zebra and has a very large concentration of giraffe. It is also home to many predators and endangered species plus very large and varied birdlife. The park is situated on the main road between Bulawayo and the world famous Victoria Falls. Hwange National Park covers just over 14 600 square kilometres.

Having cascaded over the Victoria Falls, and tumbled and swirled through the Batoka gorges, the old Zambezi River then flowed gently across a flat valley floor to the Kariba gorge. This was the home of the BaTonka people who believed there was a god of the river – Nyaminyami. Enter technological man and his desire to put a dam wall across the Kariba gorge to harness the river’s flow to generate hydroelectric power. The dream became a fact in December 1958, and the man-made Lake Kariba began to fill, and reached its capacity four years later. In the meantime, about 57 000 tribe’s people had to be resettled, and “Operation Noah” led by Rupert Fothergill, had rescued and translocated 5000 animals.

Mana Pools is a wildlife conservation area in Northern Zimbabwe constituting a National Park. It is a region of the lower Zambezi River in Zimbabwe where the flood plain turns into a broad expanse of lakes after each rainy season. As the lakes gradually dry up and recede, the region attracts many large animals in search of water, making it one of Africa's most renowned game-viewing regions.

The Matobo National Park forms the core of the Matobo or Matobo Hills, an area of granite kopjes and wooded valleys commencing some 35 kilometres south of Bulawayo, southern Zimbabwe. The Hills were formed over 2000 million years ago with granite being forced to the surface, this has eroded to produce smooth "whaleback dwalas" and broken kopjes, strewn with boulders and interspersed with thickets of vegetation. Mzilikazi, founder of the Ndebele nation, gave the area its name, meaning 'Bald Heads'.

Nyanga (formerly known as Inyanga) is a town in the province of Manicaland, Zimbabwe, located adjacent to Nyanga National Park in the Eastern Highlands about 105 km north of Mutare. According to the 1982 Population Census, the town had a population of 2,973. The highest mountain in Zimbabwe, Mount Nyangani lies about 15 km from the village. Its highest peak rises to 2,600 m above sea level. Nyanga is a popular tourist destination with its trout fishing, golf courses, mountain hikes and holiday resorts.

The Victoria Falls constitutes one of the most spectacular natural wonders of the world. The local people call it "Mosi-oa-Tunya" -- the smoke that thunders. There is magic about them manifested in the towering column of spray when the river is high, the thunder of the falling water, the terrifying abyss and tranquil lagoons upstream in which hippo and deadly crocodiles lurk. The Victoria Falls is 1 708 meters wide, making it the largest curtain of water in the world.

To many people, Africa is little more than a continent of poverty and death. But it’s undeniable that one can also find there beauty. And lots of life. One just needs to know where to look. In this article you’ll see selected photographs of places in Africa that are worth visiting and short descriptions of those places. 1. Bazaruto Island This sandy island belonging to Mozambique offers beautiful views, as well as very clear water. Many people visit the island […]